Diana 'Banned' at Jubilee Events

But Charles included her and Fergie in his TV programme on the Queen.

There was no mention or picture of the late Diana, Princess of Wales in the whole of the Diamond Jubilee events but, surprisingly, Prince Charles allowed brief footage of his late wife and of Prince Andrew's former wife, Sarah Ferguson—Fergie—to be included in his hour-long television tribute to the Queen. It is thought that this was a goodwill gesture to their children, William and Harry, Beatrice and Eugenie. No comment was made about either Diana or Fergie, who is effectively banned from the royal court.

In Charles's documentary, screened by the BBC, Diana is first seen pregnant with Prince Harry on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at Trooping the Colour in June, 1984. A short sequence of the Royal Family, believed to be have been shot in late 1990, included Fergie holding baby Eugenie and Diana stylishly dressed, but almost off camera. Diana is seen again in footage taken at Prince Harry's christening at Windsor in 1984 but the Princess is bending over, obscuring her face, and the main focus is on the Queen and the late Queen Mother.

Charles is seen deeply moved by the funeral of the assassinated 79-year-old Lord Mountbatten in 1979, but there is no reference to the death and funeral of Diana, aged only 36, in 1997. Camilla is seen very briefly at the end of the show, as is Kate Middleton at her wedding to Prince William.

The whole programme, over which Charles had editorial control, is a trip down memory lane with old photos from the family album and privately shot film footage of the Royal Family at play. The Prince included never before shown behind-the-scenes footage of the Queen's Coronation in 1953 and of Charles and his sister, Princess Anne, playing on the beach as young children. Charles made the point that the Queen, whom he calls 'Mama, "takes a great pride in her family", especially now she is a great-grandmother (to Peter Phillips' baby daughters). The film, A Jubilee Tribute to the Queen, can now be seen on the BBC iPlayer (but only in the UK).

Margaret Holder has been writing about the Royal Family in newspapers and magazines for thirty years. She also broadcasts frequently on the BBC, both radio and television. She reckons she has now written more royal documentaries than anyone else in the world. Some are still being shown on channels in…